How to Study the Bible by Andy Deane

Have you been looking for a new approach to Bible study? Are you new to Bible study and need to know how to go about it? If your answer is "yes" to either question, this book will help you.

The subtitle of the book is Forty Different Step-by-Step Methods to Help You Discover, Apply, and Enjoy God's Word. The author delivers on his promise. There really are 40 different ways to organize your Bible study, some of which I had heard of and some that were totally new to me. The book contains so much information that I felt overwhelmed at first. Just studying the table of contents, I wondered how I would ever absorb all that information. But, the book isn't meant to be read like a novel or spiritual growth book. It's meant to be studied, and that means you will want to read it in chunks, pacing yourself to take full advantage of each section.

Most authors would take an idea like this and make a book series out of it. Deane seems to want to tell you everything he's learned about Bible study in one book, and he's learned a lot. It's not obvious which methods, if any, were developed by him. He does give credit to the authors of methods developed by others. Clearly, he loves God's Word and wants to share his experience so that others can come to appreciate it as he does.

He spends a lot of time early in the book discussing the basics of Bible study. I think, if this is targeted to experienced Bible students, this part could be left out. I kept wondering when I would get started on the 40 methods. Once into the 40 methods, I found a lot to like. The steps for each method are clearly laid out and explained. And the best part----a handwritten example of how to execute the method. This feature really personalized the book for me. This is where Deane goes the extra mile for his reader.

There are a number of books on the market on "how to study the Bible," but you won't find one that provides as many different approaches. It's definitely worth the asking price. Buy the book here or browse the site for more information.

Note: I was asked by Learn to Study the Bible staff if I would review this book for this blog. I was interested enough to say "yes." I agreed to send the book on to another reviewer at my expense once I finished the review. With publishers' book review programs, the reviewer gets to keep the book.